Aircraft Caught Fire And Impacted A Home, All Aboard Escaped Via Parachute

A skydiving plane caught fire carrying a group that was planning a pyrotechnic display for a town fair near Phoenix, AZ caught fire while traveling to drop zone, and eventually impacted a home in a Phoenix suburb.

Fortunately, everyone on board the aircraft, as well as the two people in the home and their pets, survived the accident.

The Associated Press reports that all of the skydivers exited the plane after it caught fire, and landed where they had planned. The pilot continued to try to fly the airplane, but eventually declared an emergency, saying one wing was on fire, and he had fire in the cockpit.

The pilot initially tried to fight the fire, but eventually bailed out of the airplane using the parachute he was required to wear, and the unmanned plane impacted the home. He was hospitalized for treatment of burns.

The residents, Sharon and Peter LeBeau, told local media that they were "grateful to God to be alive."

The skydivers said that the Arizona Skyhawks Parachute Team has performed at the fair for the past three or four years, according to the report. The completed their jump and landed in the intended drop zone. There are only about 40 people in the country certified for pyrotechnic skydiving. The website and Facebook page for the Arizona Skyhawks Parachute Team had been deactivated.

FAA records indicated that the plane was registered to a business in Chandler, AZ.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov